How to Format a Turabian Bibliography
The bibliography is one of the most important parts of any academic paper formatted in Turabian (9th edition). It provides readers with the full details of every source you cited, allowing them to locate and verify your references. Getting the formatting right is essential for academic credibility. This guide covers the exact rules, shows real examples, and highlights the most common mistakes students make.
Formatting Rules
Follow these rules when creating your Turabian bibliography:
1.Title the page "Bibliography" (centered) at the top for Notes-Bibliography system, or "References" for Author-Date
2.Start on a new page
3.Use a hanging indent for each entry
4.Single-space within entries; add a blank line between entries
5.Alphabetize by the first author's last name
6.Invert the first author's name (Last, First); subsequent authors in normal order
7.Italicize titles of books, journals, and other long works
Example Bibliography
Here is how a Turabian bibliography looks with entries for different source types:
Book
Smith, Jane D. The Art of Research. Chicago: Academic Press, 2024.
Journal Article
Lee, Alex B., and Chris Park. "Modern Citation Practices." Journal of Academic Writing 15, no. 2 (2024): 45–67.
Website
World Health Organization. "Global Health Statistics." Accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.who.int/statistics.
Book Chapter
Jones, Maria. "Methods in Research." In Handbook of Academic Writing, edited by Sarah Brown, 55–80. New York: University Press, 2024.
Thesis
Garcia, Carlos. "Citation Practices in the Digital Age." PhD diss., University of Chicago, 2024.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
These are the five most frequent formatting errors students make when creating a Turabian bibliography:
- Missing or incorrect hanging indent: Every entry should have the first line flush left and all subsequent lines indented by 0.5 inches. Use your word processor's paragraph settings rather than pressing the Tab key.
- Incorrect alphabetization or ordering: Entries must be arranged according to Turabian rules. Ignore articles like "A," "An," and "The" when alphabetizing. For numbered styles, list entries in the order they first appear in the text.
- Inconsistent spacing: Double-check your line spacing throughout the entire bibliography. Mixing single and double spacing is a common error that is easy to miss.
- Wrong use of italics: Italicize titles of standalone works such as books and journals, but do not italicize article or chapter titles. Check Turabian guidelines for exactly which elements should be italicized.
- Missing or broken DOIs and URLs: Always include a DOI when one is available, formatted as a clickable link. Test every URL before submitting your paper to make sure it leads to the correct source.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a Turabian Bibliography?
- A Turabian Bibliography is the section at the end of your paper that lists all the sources you cited in your text, formatted according to Turabian 9th Edition (9th edition) guidelines. It allows readers to locate and verify each source you referenced.
- How do I format a Turabian bibliography?
- Start on a new page, title it "Bibliography," and list all sources you cited in your paper. Follow the specific Turabian rules for hanging indents, spacing, alphabetization or numbering order, and italics.
- What is the difference between a bibliography and a bibliography?
- A bibliography includes only the sources you directly cited in your paper, while a bibliography may also include sources you consulted but did not cite. In Turabian (9th edition), the end-of-paper list is called the "Bibliography."